If steroids in sports are bad, what about drugs for study?

Two years ago, I studied 10 hours straight for a literary theory exam. I could not have recalled the information I absorbed in at least six of those hours had I not taken a drug.

The drug was Adderall — an amphetamine typically prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder — and more commonly known as a study drug.

Study drugs make you smarter like steroids make you stronger. And college students are catching on to the trend.

Moral crusaders condemn A-Rod and Barry Bonds for using steroids. But a young breed of superhuman scholars, also juiced up on drugs, is curving test scores unnoticed on college campuses across the nation.

It’s the campus revival of speed — but this time, the drug companies have masked their marketing in a much more convincing campaign: Everyone has ADD, and amphetamines are the cure.

I don’t doubt the existence of ADD. Three of my family members have tested positive for it.

But people without the ailment are increasingly gaining access to amphetamines, raising a monumental ethical question: Are mind enhancers really any different from muscle enhancers?

Between 1990 and 2005, medical use of amphetamines increased 3,000 percent, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Want a prescription for ADD drugs? Simply state, “I have trouble paying attention.” Several years ago, I was prescribed Adderall on that premise.

Several of my friends have obtained prescriptions for study drugs, just to have them on hand — and every one of them has become a daily user over the years.

I have friends so dependent on study drugs that they refuse to even read without popping a pill.

I have watched one of my former roommates tear our house apart looking for her vial of smart pills. She had a 20-page paper due the next day, and she was only on page three. A sub-par brain was not going to write 17 more pages.

Another friend who graduated in 2008 tried to wean herself off the drugs upon entering the corporate world. But she was too busy to quit. Within four months, she was in a managerial position, and there’s no stopping her now.

If a teacher passed around a drug test cup with each exam, as they do in the locker room, 34 percent of college students likely would fail for amphetamines, according to a Journal of American College Health study.

As my generation moves from enrollment to employment against heavy competition for jobs, these statistics suggest more of us will feel pushed to take study drugs.

Will the entry-level go-getters taking Adderall soar ahead? Will people who use only their own natural energy, not chemical boosters, be forced to pop mind enhancers to keep up with the over-eager class of academic crack heads?

Research suggests study drugs don’t actually increase intelligence. The drugs, supporters say, are merely concentration enhancers.

The drugs do enhance cognitive aptitude. They give users a competitive advantage. Whether you call it smarter or more “focused” is beside the point.

The parallel with steroid use in sports is clear. Steroids don’t pack on muscle by themselves. They only facilitate strength training.

Baseball is A-Rod’s profession. Steroids make him stronger — a better player and more valuable employee.

College is my generation’s profession. Study drugs make us smarter — better students and more impressive job applicants.

Society generally says steroids have no place in Major League Baseball. But it’s silent on the use of study drugs on college campuses.

I’m not saying study drugs should be outlawed. In fact, I’m certain that could not happen to a billion-dollar industry.

But if we are going to drag steroid users through the mud for trying to get ahead, I think we should subject study drug users to the same condemnation.

• Hayley Peterson, a University of Georgia senior, is associate editor of The Red & Black.